Tomorrow Starts Now
by bionic4ever
Summary: YTT2: Do Jaime and Steve have a future together? A sequel to 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'.


**BIONIC WOMAN**

"TOMORROW STARTS NOW"

by bionic4ever

Steve Austin gazed with wonder at the woman he held in his arms. Had she really come back to him? Most people were lucky to get a second chance at love; had they really been given a third?

Jaime Sommers had not come to this pinnacle in her life voluntarily. Experimental surgery had finally cured the amnesia that had kept Steve from her memory and her life, and her doctors had announced that seeing him now would be the best possible medicine. She had protested, argued and fought their decision. Now, all that was forgotten as she looked deeply into his bright blue eyes and the love she saw there made her melt.

Steve pulled her a little closer and felt her arms encircle him in response. He leaned toward Jaime and tenderly kissed her. He forced himself to stop right there; he knew if he kissed her again, he'd want to go on forever, and the last thing he needed right now was to scare her away.

"I've missed you so much, Jaime," he whispered.

"I missed you, too. Problem was, I didn't know how much until right now."

"How did all this happen?" he asked. "Michael's surgery?"

She nodded. "I think seeing you is what made it gel, though." They smiled at each other. "Wait a minute!" Jaime exclaimed. "How'd you know about the surgery?"

"Been keepin' tabs on you," he said simply.

She jabbed him playfully in the ribs. "Alright, Austin - you said before that you could see in my eyes that my memory was back. Now you say you've been keeping tabs all along. So which is it?"

"Oscar told me you'd had the surgery; that's all. They wouldn't tell me anything else or even let me contact you...said they didn't want to taint the results. So when Michael called and asked me to fly in, I thought either you were in bad shape, or..."

"Or what?"

"I thought you and Michael were getting married."

"Steve!" She whacked him lightly on the arm and then turned suddenly serious. "I think Rudy might've made him call you."

Steve stepped back and looked at her. "Jaime," he began, matching her serious tone, "I have to ask you something, but first I want you to promise me you'll tell me the truth, no matter what."

"Of course. What is it?"

Steve breathed deeply to find his courage. "Do you love him?"

Jaime closed her eyes for a split second, as if to block out the question. She looked up into Steve's face and saw no anger there; only concern. "I thought I did," she answered. "Even this morning, I really thought I did."

"I know he loves you," Steve told her reluctantly. "I could hear it in his voice when he said your name."

"Thought I was the one with sensitive hearing," Jaime said, trying to lighten the mood and change the subject.

"I don't think I should interfere. I don't wanna come between you and -"

"Austin, you're not listening. I thought it was love, but I guess I didn't really know what the word meant anymore...'til I looked in your eyes." Steve seemed momentarily struck dumb, so she kept talking. "See, I can read eyes and voices, too."

"Is that a fact?" Steve finally relaxed enough to take her back into his arms. Blue eyes met hazel ones and became portals into each other's heart and soul. "And what are mine saying right now?" he asked her.

Jaime grinned. "You want the G-rated version, or Triple-X?"

Steve laughed and, leaving the answer to her imagination, brushed the hair from her eyes and softly caressed her face. His hand reached the back of her neck and his other arm pulled her closer as he began to kiss her. Steve's heart raced when Jaime responded eagerly, her lips moving effortlessly from tenderness to passion.

"Steve," Jaime began, when they came up for air, "Do you ever think about where we'd be right now if we hadn't gone skydiving that day?"

"I try not to."

"But you do think about it?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "Every day for the whole year we've been apart."

"And?"

"We'd definitely be married...you'd be in the kitchen barefoot, one of our twins on each hip, and pregnant with our third."

"Steve!"

He grinned to show her he was joking. "I was serious about the first part, though."

"I know you were. The wedding wasn't that far off...It's the picture I have in my head too."

"Of course," Steve went on, "Then you'd have missed out on the miracle they call bionics."

"I could've done just fine with a few less miracles in my life," Jaime told him.

Steve's eyes grew dark and his tone became heavier. "Would you still rather have died that day?"

"Yes!" She looked away, not meeting his questioning eyes. "You've been through so much pain because of me -"

"No way!" Steve gently brushed away the tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Jaime, if you take nothing else away from this conversation, I want you to remember one thing: none of what happened with us was your fault."

"But -"

"None of it! If anyone should be blamed, it should be me!"

"Steve..."

"I talked you into jumping from that damned plane. I inspected your equipment myself. And I'm the one who insisted they make you into someone you didn't want to be; still don't, apparently."

"Steve -"

"I'm so sorry, Sweetheart - for all of it."

Jaime looked at him solemnly. "Then you're sorry I lived?"

"Of course not, but it sounds like you are."

She took his face in her hands, trying to smooth out the lines of worry and pain that had suddenly appeared there. "That's what I was trying to tell you," she said. "I was wrong. How could I be anything but grateful? I've got my life, I've maybe got you -"

"You definitely have me; you always have," Steve whispered, tightening his hold around her waist.

"Good," Jaime replied. "Now can we please go back to kissing? I liked that a lot better."

"Anything you say, Sweetheart," he said, nuzzling her lips with his own, savoring the moment. "For as long as you want."

"Forever?'

"Like I told you - anything you say."

END


End file.
